Dweller of the Deep
by Mrs. Owl 09
Summary: What does the mysterious man want with Lucas and Ben? Mild cursing warning. There will also be terms that people in the mental health community may find offensive. Please understand it is how I believe the characters would think and speak and not myself.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I don't own any of these characters or creatures. It's going to get a little meta. Takes place in season one.**

* * *

><p>Lieutenant JG Tim O'Neill came racing down the corridor of the SeaQuest toward the bridge. The thin man barely missed crashing into Commander Ford as he skidded to a stop. He fixed his glasses and gasped for breath. "Sir! I'm sorry, I need to see the Captain."<p>

Ford looked shocked and stepped out of the way for the communications officer. "He's in his cabin Tim. What's wrong?" O'Neill was already gone shouting something about his mother. "This doesn't look good." He sighed and headed after him.

O'Neill ran all the way to Captain Bridger's quarters and pounded on the door. The Captain opened it and was as surprised as Ford. "Tim! What's going on?" The normally mild mannered officer seemed to be in state of panic.

"Sir, Captain. I need to request a leave of absence. Please." He huffed out. "I just go an email, it's my mother. She's very sick. Please!"

Nathan held out a calming palm. "Of course Tim, just take a breath please. You can take a mini-sub. We're close enough to the coast that you can be there in an hour. Go pack a bag; I'll get it set up for you."

"Thank you sir! I... don't know what to do... if my mom dies..." His head dropped and he stared at the floor. "Thank you."

"Of course Tim," He placed his hand on the man's shoulder.

"Sir, if you could, please don't let people know. I don't want people calling me if it... gets bad." Tim asked still staring at the floor.

"Whatever you need," Nathan assured him.

Ford finally got to the scene and was trying figure out what was happening when Tim took off running again. "Sir?"

"Jonathan, O'Neill needs to take some personal time. His mother is ill. Please have a mini-sub ready to go for him."

"Yes sir. Does he know how bad it is?"

The captain shook his head. "He didn't say anything put if he's in this big of a panic it can't be good."

* * *

><p>Lucas Wolenczak laid on his bunk tossing a ball in the air. He was bored, very bored. There had been nothing happening on the SeaQuest for a few weeks. All systems were operational, no crazy evil hijackers, no viruses threatening the world, and there weren't even any death threats against any of the crew members. The only excitement was Tim O'Neill suddenly running off the ship like the devil was after him. That was three days ago. Lucas groaned as the ball missed his hand and rolled across the floor. He thought about what to do next but was even bored with his video games and playing with Darwin.<p>

The blonde teen happily jumped up when there was a knock at the door. "Finally! Something!" He opened it to find Ben Krieg grinning wickedly at him. "Hey Ben, what's up?"

"Hey Lucas, you'll never guess what I just got permission to do!" The tall dark haired supply officer said with a mischievous glint in his eye.

A million scenarios ran through the young genius' mind but none made sense. He narrowed his blue eyes in suspicion. "What?"

"Captain Bridger wants me to learn how to pilot the Stinger, and he wants you to teach me." Ben couldn't disguise his glee.

"No way, that's crazy, Ben. Is he that bored?"

Krieg considered being offended but it passed quickly. "Well, _kid_, I guess he didn't want to stick me with Katie in her Gazelle. I may not come back in one piece." He glared at Lucas but it soon turned back into his normal grin. "So, what do you say?"

"Of course, that'll be awesome!" He paused and rubbed his chin for a moment. "Ben, would you be offended if I double checked this with Captain Bridger?"

"If it was anyone but you, I would be." Ben said, snorting.

* * *

><p>Hours later, after Captain Bridger confirmed that he did indeed want Ben to learn to drive the Stinger, Lucas was still showing him the schematics. "This is so boring, why do I need to know about the oxygen tanks?" He grumbled as Lucas pointed out the safety checks with a pen.<p>

"Because," Lucas explained, "if something happens to the electrical you need to know how to survive." He popped his pen back between his teeth. "And I outrank you right now, I want to make this last!" He laughed loudly and Ben gave him a shove. The teen wobbled on his chair and bit down hard on the pen. The end snapped off and he felt ink flood his mouth. "Blech!" He started spitting blue all over the floor.

Ben couldn't stop laughing at he stared at Lucas' blue mouth, the ink was spreading over his lips and covered his chin. "Oh man, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to push you so hard... but damn that's funny looking!"

Lucas swiped uselessly at the ink on his face. "Ug, this is one of the new pens. It's supposed to be better for damp environments. It's never going to wash off! I'll have to let it wear off and that'll take days, thanks a lot Ben." He scowled at his friend.

"I really am sorry, but since the paper work is a watercolor painting now, maybe we could try some hands on training." Ben glanced down at the ink splattered paper.

"Alright." Lucas agreed still scrubbing at his lips. "I'll let the Captain know." He stopped as they were walking out to look in a dark window. "Geez, the inside of my whole mouth is dyed. You are so going to pay for this!" Ben kept laughing as he scurried away from the annoyed teenager.

"Don't worry, it won't ruin your good looks kid! And for all we know, it'll be a new fad soon. You'll be the hottest thing around up-world, maybe you'll be on the cover of a bunch of teen magazines!" He shouted over his shoulder.

* * *

><p>"Ok Ben, I'm giving the controls to you now. Just take it nice and easy over this cliff." Lucas ordered.<p>

"Gotcha kid"

"You really need to stop calling me that Ben." Lucas scowled, "I'm nearly an adult you know."

"Well, I _am_ an adult and people call me worse. Don't take it personally." There was a tone of hurt in Ben's voice that Lucas tried to ignore.

With a few jerks and sudden stops Ben got the Stinger flying effortlessly. "Hm, not too bad. A little touchier than a mini-sub but smooth after you get used to it." He grinned over his shoulder. "When are we going to open it all the way?"

"We aren't. I had to promise Bridger and Katie I wouldn't let you for a while. I don't think you realize just how fast this thing can go." Lucas said to the back of Ben's head.

Ben sighed, "crash a few subs and everyone thinks you can't drive..."

Lucas smiled, "I tell ya what. Head back over that cliff and you can start a sprint. Not too fast, but let's have some fun."

"Aye aye Captain Wolenczak!" Ben answered. He carefully came over the edge of the underwater cliff and pointed the Stinger parallel with its face. With a whoop of excitement he increased the speed.

The radio crackled and Ortiz's voice sounded through the small sub. "Hey guys, I just wanted to you know, you are showing up on sensors and Captain Bridger wanted to take a look at them after you're done."

"Ug, thanks Miguel. Hint taken." Ben said sighing, he decreased the speed by half. "Well, it was fun when it lasted."

Lucas was craning his neck trying to look behind them. "Did you see something? I thought I saw a flash of something, and it didn't look like a WSKR. Do you think Darwin followed us?"

"I don't see anything. Should I call the ship? They might make us come back."

"Why don't we wait on it? There shouldn't be anything too dangerous down here." Lucas decided.

Ben snorted, "famous last words, kid."

Lucas flicked a strand of blonde hair out his eyes. "Yeah, but nothing too bad could ever happen to us, we're the best looking people on the ship."

Ben and Lucas were still laughing when a mini-sub rose behind them and shot out a small device. It attached to the Stinger with a thump. "What was that?" Lucas asked, looking around wildly.

There was a fizzing sound followed by a pop and everything in the Stinger went dark. The two people inside felt the small sub start to sink quickly. "Uh, Lucas, remember what you said about the O2 tanks still working if we lose everything? Wanna do that now?" Ben whispered in the darkness.

"On it." Ben could hear the thin youth twisting around the confined space and heard the quiet hiss of oxygen enter the sub.

"Did you happen to notice how deep this trench was when we entered?" Ben asked, swallowing.

"You don't want to know."

"Ok..."

The Stinger softly settled on a rocky outcropping two minutes later. Lucas and Ben listened to any creaking to signal structural failure. Thankfully, they heard nothing. "I guess we'll just have to wait. Ortiz was watching us, they should be able find us pretty easily. What do you think that was?" Asked Ben, as he tried to settle into the seat.

"I'm guessing an EMP since it killed everything electrical in less than a second." Lucas answered.

Within minutes there was another, louder thump and the two in the sub sighed with relief. "Thank you Miguel! I think I owe you so... Ow!" The grappling claw that was hooked around the Stinger jerked severely, and Ben slammed his head against the window.

"Ben? Ben are you ok?" Lucas lifted himself in his seat to see his friend. Ben's head was slumped to the side and the only movement was the result of the sub moving. Still leaning over the pilot seat, Lucas was able to look straight up through the canopy. He saw the mini-sub that was attached to them. It didn't take all his brain power to note it was not a SeaQuest style mini-sub. "Oh shit," he mumbled

There was another soft thump this time followed by a bright electric flash. Lucas watched the lightning-like strands work its way up from the nose of the Stinger to him. There was nowhere for him to go and he slammed back in the seat before it reached him and he blacked out.

* * *

><p>When Lucas opened his eyes it was pitch black. He could hear dripping water around him and one side of his body was pressing against cold metal bars. He was on something soft and felt blankets covering him. He looked all around him but couldn't see a thing. "Ben?" He whispered.<p>

"He's here, he has a bump on his head but I think he'll be ok." Came a familiar voice, very close to Lucas.

"Tim? Is that you?"

"Yup."

"You ok?"

"Yup."

"I'm really getting sick of getting kidnapped."

"Yup."


	2. Chapter 2

"Report Mr. Ortiz." Captain Bridger requested from his chair.

"Yes sir, there is still no sign of them but the WSKR's aren't picking up any kind of debris or anything suggesting an attack." Miguel Ortiz answered quickly. "And Darwin said he didn't smell any blood in the water."

"Well, that's the good news. That probably means someone took them though. Run a detailed sweep looking for particulates of another sub." The Captain rubbed his face for a moment so the crew wouldn't see the worry on his face. "It's not like the Kraken could have come up and swallowed them."

"Yes sir, one moment." Miguel started typing and a display lit up face. "Found it, there was another sub out there. Older model, not in the best of shape. It's spitting out a lot fuel."

"Can we follow it?"

"No, sir, not for very long. The currents have washed most of it away."

"O'Nei... dammit." Nathan had forgotten the man was on leave. He sighed, "Ortiz, keep monitoring the sensors and look for any kind of communications. If Lucas gets to a computer he'll send something ASAP."

"Yes, sir... What do you think happened?" Nathan looked up again. The entire crew on the bridge was watching him with concern for their crewmates evident on their faces.

"I don't know Miguel. I am pretty sick of those two always finding trouble though."

* * *

><p>"So where are we? Have the lights been on?" Lucas asked getting himself into a more comfortable position.<p>

"Yeah, and we have food and water. He's been bringing me whatever I need." Tim explained. "When he brought you two in I asked for more blankets and he got them right away. I guess he wants us healthy."

"Did you recognize him? Or the place?"

"Never saw his face. He wears a weird cloak with a hood and doesn't speak much. We are in some kind of cave, there's equipment all around and just... junk everywhere. But he's armed to the teeth." Tim groped in the dark and located a water bottle. "Here, and there's food if you want."

"Thank you," Lucas accepted the bottle and took a deep drink. "So how long have you been here?"

"I'm not sure, I was grabbed about five minutes after my mini-sub landed. I think we came right here but I was out. Probably used the same thing on me as you two." He sighed, "I was so stupid, I get one email saying my mom is sick, and I go running. I didn't even call, I didn't even check to make sure it was real."

"Any idea what he wants?" Lucas wasn't sure how to respond to the second part of Tim's exposition.

Tim snorted, "the same thing every crazy person wants from us. He has this computer chip he keeps insisting holds information for a new age. But it's corrupted, I couldn't get it to work. I told him that and he locked me up again and you two appear." He paused, "I'm sorry. I hoped if I couldn't help him, he'd let me go. I didn't think he'd be able to grab you too."

"Would you two please stop shouting." Ben whispered hoarsely.

"Hey Ben, how are you feeling?" Lucas asked leaned over his friend in the dark.

"Better if you weren't kneeling on my hand."

"Oh! Sorry," he adjusted. "Do you want some water?"

"Yeah, thanks. My head is pounding, did you spike my coffee young man?" Ben groaned. "Cause if you did, I need to get some of that stuff."

There was a moment of silence. "So, did I go blind or is it really dark in here?"

"It's dark." Lucas pressed the water bottle into Ben's hand.

"Why would you go blind Krieg?" Tim asked. Lucas was sure he could hear Ben's toothy grin in response and Tim's dark blush that followed. "Don't answer that."

"So, crazy person with a computer chip. Been there done that." Ben said in a bored tone. "But why I am here? And, no offence Tim, why would he take you first?"

"I was wondering that myself Tim... um... sorry." Lucas added.

Tim sighed again, "no, you're both right. I can do the basic computer stuff but nothing like Lucas. I even asked him and he said something about the old language. I guess once the chip is working we'll figure it out."

"Well, until then, why don't we get some sleep. We can't do anything in the dark like this." Lucas suggested.

"Ah man, I just woke up." Ben protested.

"Then you keep watch, we'll sleep." Tim dug down into the blankets and Lucas copied him.

"This is going to be dull, stare into the dark and listen to water dripping. Awesome." Ben grumbled.

* * *

><p>Across the room, a man smiled at what he heard. Tim and Lucas would have the information in no time, and he would rule alongside his god. Ben being there to watch was just a wonderful added bonus.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

A dim light flicked on in the cave holding the SeaQuest men hostage. They were in a deep sleep and never noticed the short figure leaning over them. He lifted his upper lip and blew a raspberry, and then ambled away to find his friend.

"Do you think we should let them in on the amazing thing they will be doing for us?" His friend asked, towering over him. The shorter of the two shook his head. "You're right. Let them find out as they work. Perhaps the overwhelming nature of it all will bring them to our side."

"Bring them this." He handed his short silent friend a bag and watched him walk back to the large shark cage he had refitted to hold the men.

Lucas woke with a jerk when he heard something falling down beside him. He squinted up in the dim light to see a silhouetted figure tossing something into the cage. "Hello... where are we?" He ventured. He got no answer, "um... what are you doing with us?" He tried again.

The figure shook his head violently and walked away. As he got closer to the light Lucas could plainly see the red hair covering the small body. "Son of a... It's Verne!" The light clicked off again. "Crap."

* * *

><p>Lucas woke up again a few hours later. The dim light was back on and he could see Ben sitting up against the bars of the cage pulling out a granola bar from the bag next to him.<p>

"It's the Regulator." The supply officer informed him tossing a bar to Lucas.

"I know, I saw Verne earlier. But why? I thought we helped him. The whole situation was fixed up with a neat little bow." Lucas ripped open the wrapper and bit into his breakfast.

"Who knows, the guy is bonkers."

Tim opened his eyes and looked at the two. "The Regulator? Great. I suppose he wants us to become mermen and tell him all the secrets of the sea."

Ben tossed him a bar as well. "We'll just have to wait. We can't do much in here."

Lucas stood and started searching the cage. It was large, about eight feet long and six across. The large opening that would normally be near the top was welded shut with a grate. The entire bottom was covered with quilts and after he pulled some up, saw there were bars underneath them as well. Lucas looked around the large underwater cave. It was still full of all the supplies the Regulator was known to trade in.

He glanced at the small pool searching. "Did he take Darwin too? This could still be about the spherical evolution thing again?"

"I haven't seen him. If he had plans to grab Darwin, there isn't much we can do about it." Ben answered with an annoyed shrug.

Leslie Ferina walked into the room wearing a long black cape with the cowl pulled over his head. "Gentlemen." He nodded. "I have some work for you."

He held up a small computer chip and set it on a computer sitting on a metal desk on the far side of the room. "Make it work. Then tell me what it says." He pushed a button on the wall and one side of the cage opened, he exited without saying anything else.

Tim stood up and stopped Lucas from exiting the cage. "We need a plan. Start working on the computer, see if you can get a message to the SeaQuest." He turned to Ben, "we'll look for anything we can use as a weapon."

Lucas fired up the computer and within minutes was shaking his head. "It's not connected to anything guys. How can a person live without any internex?" He shook his head bemused. "It's so... Luddite!"

Ben stopped searching for a moment and laughed. "There was a world before computers Lucas. For quite some time actually."

"But why?" Came the response from the teen.

Tim caught Ben's eye and both men shook their heads. "There's nothing here but bullets and circuits." Tim said, exasperated. "There isn't even any knives, just all accessories." He held up a badly faked jewel encrusted sheath. "I know he had weapons before, I saw him moving them in and out. He must have gotten rid of all of them already."

"Can we pull any of these larger munitions apart? Harvest the powder?" Ben asked.

"We don't have the tools and I wouldn't know where to start." Tim said tossing the sheath in a box. "Do you?"

"No," answered Ben glumly. "I got kicked out of the boy scouts."

"I don't think they teach that," Tim retorted.

"Maybe they should."

"The only thing we can do is get started on this chip." Lucas called from the other side of the room. "It doesn't look like it's too badly damaged." He started to examine it. He pulled open a metal drawer and started searching for some tools. "Here we go..." Lucas was quickly lost in his own world working on the chip.

* * *

><p>"I think I've got it!" The blonde computer genius called from his post. He started on the problem hours before and Ben and Tim were sitting next to the cage talking to kill time. Lucas smiled at the two men with triumph dancing in his blue eyes.<p>

"Now what do we do?" Asked Ben, standing and stretching.

"Put it in and see what it is." Lucas answered with a small eye roll. "What else would we do with it?" He pulled the front of the hard drive off and started pulling out wires. "Just have to connect it here..." he said to himself, "there." The computer beeped back at him and an image showed on the screen. "What? That doesn't make sense."

"What is it?" Tim asked crossing to the teen.

"It looks like an ad or something. Like someone wanted to sell this thing. And was advertising it on the 'nex." Lucas said without turning.

Ben joined them. "What were they selling?"

"I'm not sure, it looks like something carved on a large stone. I have no idea what this language is though." Lucas peered at the screen closer mentally willing it to make sense.

"I think that's where I come in, Lucas." Tim said. "May I?" He asked pointing to the chair.

"Yeah, go ahead." Lucas stood but still stared at the screen. "I've never seen anything like that. What language is that?"

Tim sat and concentrated on the words in front of him. "I don't know." He admitted. "But it does seem familiar. Maybe it's just an old dialect. Let me see if I can..." It was Tim's turn to get lost in his world and other two backed off to let him. "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh? R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn... no that can't be right." He muttered.

Minutes later the door opened and the Regulator walked back in. He was holding his voltage disc and made sure the three of them saw it. "I see it working, thank you Luc... oh... I see" He was staring at Lucas in shock. "I'm sorry sir. I never knew you... I am only an acolyte. Please forgive me!"

Ben, Tim, and Lucas looked back and forth to each other in confusion. "Didn't know what?" Lucas asked.

The Regulator came close and couldn't take his eyes from the ink staining Lucas' mouth and chin. "You have the mark, you are a priest." He smiled manically. "This is truly meant to be!" He ran from the room but the baffled men could still hear him laughing shrilly.

"What the hell?" Asked Ben blinking in shock.

"I really have no clue." Answered Lucas warily.

Tim went back to his reading and surprised them further by slamming his head down on the desk. "Ow," he said to the metal.

"What? Did you find something?" Lucas asked, hurrying to join him. Tim didn't lift his head.

"Yup."

"Is it bad?" Ben squinted at the screen, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"Yup."

Lucas finally saw what Tim had reacted to. "Tim... does… does that say Cthulhu?"

"Yup."


	4. Chapter 4

"Did you say Cthulhu, Lucas?" Ben asked. "As in the big scary guy with tentacles? As in the evil overlord guy? As in not real?"

Lucas turned to look at his friend. "Yeah." His blue eyes were mix of shock and amusement. "I think Leslie is even more bonkers than you thought, Ben."

"But it's just a book! An old story!" Tim said lifting his head. There was a red mark where he had slammed down on the desk.

"Well..." Ben started, "So is the bible to some people."

Tim glared at him. "That's different."

"Actually, depending on the person it isn't." Lucas attempted. "It's like the flying spaghetti monster theory." Both men blinked at him in confusion. "Yeah... never mind," he backpedaled. "So what do we do? We can only play along so much, when he sees it not working he's going to flip... well... flip more."

Tim sighed, and rubbed his sore head. "I'll try to translate it. It wasn't ever meant to be a real language but I'll see what I can do." He glanced at Lucas. "Your blue mouth... how did that happen? He thinks it's some kind of mark labeling you as a follower."

Lucas gave Ben a dark look. "A pen exploded in my mouth. But that was never in the original story."

"It's been rewritten so many time and there are so many pop culture references to it, who knows what version he's reading." Tim explained simply.

"We'll just have to use it to our advantage," Lucas vowed. "It shouldn't be too hard.

The Regulator walked back into the cave carrying a tray. "I brought coffee for you sir." He told Lucas, still smiling wildly.

"Um, thanks Leslie, do you think ... my uh, men could have some too? They will be assisting me." Lucas pretended not to see the dirty looks he was getting from Tim and Ben.

"Yes sir, anything you need sir." Leslie groveled.

Ben barely contained his snort as the tall man ran back to his supply room. "Your men? This is going to get old fast."

"So is dying," retorted Lucas.

Leslie quickly returned with the coffee and set it on the desk. "Anything else you need sir?" He looked like a puppy waiting for a treat.

"Um, why don't you sit with me for a while? Tell me how you became involved with... our... uh… dark lord."

Lucas pulled out a chair for the man and he looked like he had be offered the crown jewels. "Oh, you are most kind, thank you sir. Yes, as you know, I was searching for spherical evolution. After your dolphin answered my questions, I was rather lost. I met these interesting gentlemen who taught me all about the Great Old Ones. I was awed. I was looking for the center of the universe but they were offering information so astounding it drove people mad! How could I resist?"

"So you decided to raise the... Great Old Ones?" Lucas was scrambling to remember everything he read in the story from his childhood, but was coming up quite lacking.

"Yes, yes! I found this ad, the one you so cleverly unlocked in the chip, for a stone tablet written very long ago. It holds the secret to unlocking Cthulhu. I wanted to buy it immediately of course, but the chip was damaged when my sub crashed. I lost the information." His face fell into deep despair. "I only hope he will forgive me for making him wait so long."

Lucas was desperately trying to not look at Ben and Tim who were watching them with wide eyes behind the Regulator. He kept his mind on track. "Well, Leslie, we are trying very hard to translate the tablet. You have done very well so far." Leslie looked at him in amazement and smiled. "I see that your facilities are rather limited. Do you think we... could go to the SeaQuest? I believe we could get much more done there."

"Oh no, no sir. I am sorry but you must stay here. People will try to stop us. In fact, you will need to stay in the cage for your own protection! And Verne... Verne come here! He will watch for anyone who breaks in. He can activate the traps if anyone comes in. We will be safe until the Great Old Ones come!"

"That's... that's great, thank you." Lucas slumped in his seat, rubbing the bridge of his nose to hide the look of annoyance on his face.

"I will let you get back to work, sir." Leslie stood suddenly and bolted from the room.

"Well, that went well." Ben said dryly.

Tim laughed, "You have some interesting friends."

"Blame Ben." Lucas grumbled. "You heard him, even if we get a message to the SeaQuest they could be hurt breaking in. Who knows what the whack job has squirreled away for uninvited guests?"

"We need to get out of this cave. If we can't back on the ship, we'll have to get up-world." Lucas changed the subject. "Tim, can you fake the translation and make it sound real?"

"Of course I can." Tim said, sounding annoyed and almost insulted at the thought that he couldn't.

"Great. Tell him... Tell him we need to do a weird ritual that involves a lot of ... stuff." Lucas racked his brain for a plan.

"Weird and stuff... got it." Tim started making notes.

* * *

><p>"Ok, I've got it." Tim said with undisguised glee. The others gathered around him. "The ritual must be done on a raised area facing the west sea. A dweller of the deep with uncommon knowledge will summon him after the mixing of powdered palladium with the blood of a believer."<p>

"No!" Growled Lucas, "you are not involving Darwin in this. I won't let him get hurt."

Ben placed himself between the glaring youth and the surprised Communications Officer. "Lucas, he can get a message to the Captain and get us help. It may be the only way." Lucas glared at both men before walking away and sulking in the cage.

The tense silence was interrupted by the Regulator coming in. "Time for bed boys!" He announced happily. "And a report if I may?"

"Um, yes." Started Tim. "We have the translation. It will take some work though, we'll need supplies."

"Excellent!" Leslie exclaimed with a mad glint in his eye. "What will we need?" Tim handed him the paper he had been writing his notes on. "Hm not underwater, that's odd... palladium... not too hard to get, but difficult to shatter. It may take few days. Blood of a believer, well there's plenty of us for that!" He paused, "dweller of the deep with uncommon knowledge... we all know who that is." He smiled at Lucas triumphantly. "That part should be easy!"

Lucas bit down on his lip to keep from screaming. He fully understood Darwin may be their best chance but the idea of putting him danger freaked the teen out. "Yes," he forced out. "How can we get him here?"

The Regulator regarded him for a moment before smiling. "He's already here. I do enjoy your tests sir." He clapped his hands. "Ok, everyone in for safe keeping!" Ben and Tim filed in behind Lucas, and sat with their backs pressed against the bars. There was really nothing else they could do at the moment.

Leslie locked the door behind them. "Hm?" He asked, turning. They looked at him in confusion. "What did you want to happen? That's too easy."

"Who is he talking to?" Ben asked quietly. Leslie had his back towards them and was having an in depth conversation with the far wall.

Leslie turned back to them, "I'm sorry, that was rude. I just wish they wouldn't talk to the screen like that." He walked out of the room after giving Verne a pat.

"What the...?"


	5. Chapter 5

"The one thing I don't get is where that stupid carved stone even came from." Ben said finally breaking the silence.

"Just the one thing?" Retorted Tim with a snicker.

"Well, one of the things," he amended.

Lucas sighed, "crazed fans have stuff like that. The seller probably made it. You can even buy the Necronomicon if you want. Complete with fake skin and a creepy face."

"Groovy," Ben muttered. "Now if we only had a boomstick."

Tim groaned mournfully. "We're nerds, aren't we?" The men chucked for a few moments.

"Where do you think he's keeping Darwin?" Lucas whispered in the darkness.

"I don't know. Who knows how much space he's carved out down here." Ben reached out and found Lucas' shoulder to squeeze in a reassuring manner. "I'm sure he's ok, kid." He didn't respond to him but pulled away and settled onto the floor of the cage.

* * *

><p>The men woke suddenly a several hours later when Leslie came bustling into the room and turned on the light. He was carrying a small cloth sack. "I have it! I found someone who uses it for hydrogenation in a lab near here." He slammed the button to open the door of the cage and ran to the groggy inhabitants. "And," his voice became even more excited, "I was able to receive another delivery, but that will have to wait."<p>

The men were still trying to comprehend his shouted words when Leslie stood outside their door, bouncing on his toes with pent up energy. He thrust the bag through the opening at Tim, who took it with surprise. He opened it and looked inside, it was half filled with a shiny dust. "How did you get it so fast?"

The Regulator shrugged, seemingly distracted. "I called him, he brought it." He was staring at Lucas as the blonde teen started to leave the cage behind Ben, still blinking sleep from his eyes.

Lucas jerked to a stop, and suddenly was much more awake, when he came to the door to find Leslie standing in his way. "It's fading." He said, grabbing Lucas' chin. "Why is your mark fading?!"

Lucas froze, and thought fast. "It's a sign... the uh... time is near. We have to perform the ritual soon, before it disappears. It's to help me blend it with the rest of the world so we won't be stopped." He tried to control his breathing and could only hope he was believed.

"Oh, yes, of course, I am sorry." Leslie let him go but still looked doubtful. "We will leave today. Don't bother with bringing anything, you won't need it after he rises." He walked to the door. "I will call you when everything is ready."

* * *

><p>Leslie stood outside of his mini-sub getting it ready, carefully stashing his new prize in the cabin. Something was wrong and he could feel it. He was being lied to, he just wasn't sure how much of what he was being told wasn't the complete truth. He didn't like it. "What do you think I should do, boys and girls?" He asked looking a blank wall.<p>

* * *

><p>The three men from the SeaQuest were once again searching for something to use for a weapon. Again, they came up empty. "How can one man have so much crap?" Tim asked in frustration. He let loose a string of curses that left the other two in shock.<p>

"Tim? Are you ok?" Asked Ben.

"What? Yeah, I'm just sick of this. I feel... helpless. I always feel helpless when shit like this happens." He answered slumping down in a chair.

Ben raised an eyebrow. "You mean when a crazy maniac kidnaps us to raise a fictional god? When that happens?"

Tim ignored the attempt to cheer him up. "He's right Tim. Just because this isn't your... forte, doesn't mean you are useless." Lucas tried.

The communications officer looked at the pair of eyes watching him with concern and stood. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get all sappy on you guys."

"That's ok man, sometimes the people need a little sap." Ben clapped him on the shoulder.

Lucas sat at the computer desk to see if there was anything that would be use to them. "Well that's something." The teen muttered to himself as he pulled out a long extension cord. He ran to the door and twisted off one end. Lucas plugged the other end in an outlet and gave a satisfied grunt when sparks flew from the exposed wires. He unplugged it again and started pushing the wires through the small crack in the door. If the Regulator even brushed the door with any exposed skin, he would get zapped. Lucas wasn't sure what they would do after that, but at least they would regain some control.

The blonde computer genius never got a chance to regain anything, however, the doors hissed open suddenly and the Regulator's voltage disc flew through the opening. It shot out an arc of electricity and all three men dropped to the floor unmoving.

* * *

><p>The sharp jostling motion of them being moved did not wake the three unconscious men and neither did the gentle swaying of the mini-sub propelling through the water. Lucas did wake when Verne stood over him and started poking his face. He jerked away from the orangutan, and his foot caught Tim's causing him to wake him as well.<p>

They looked around at their surroundings. They knew they were lying on the floor of a mini-sub and a simple check proved they were securely cuffed to the benches on either side of the sub with electronic cuffs. Ben was laying near them, not moving.

"Verne! Come back here." Ordered Leslie from the cockpit. "I don't want their lies and disbelief to corrupt you."

"Leslie, you are making a huge mistake." Lucas called desperately as he fumbled with the cuffs behind his back. "The Great Old Ones will be mad if you do this to their priest. I think you know that."

"I don't know what I know right now Lucas." He called back. "I am going to the cliffs and we are doing the ritual, everything will be worked out after that. It won't matter who is lying and who isn't when he comes."

"Crap," Lucas huffed.

"Yup," Tim responded.


	6. Chapter 6

Leslie hit a particularly bad thermal a few hours later and the SeaQuest men were thrown together in a heap. Ben cried out in pain as they heard a loud snap. "Ben? What's wrong? Are you ok?" Lucas asked seeing his grey face.

"I think my arm is broken." Ben gasped. They could see the unnatural angle and had to agree.

"Leslie, please. He's hurt. Stop this." Tim begged, trying to reach Ben.

The Regulator only laughed shrilly. "That will be nothing when he comes. You will wish for a simple broken bone." He turned to grin at them. "Don't worry, almost there."

In fact, it was only minutes when they landed roughly on a beach. Leslie stood from his seat and walked to the back of the mini-sub. He was holding a gun in his hand and had no qualms about pointing it directly at Lucas' head. "I'm going free you. Then you will free your friends. If you try anything I will kill you." He stated blandly, as if he was simply reciting cooking directions.

Lucas swallowed and nodded. He didn't try to fight when Leslie knelt down and typed in the code to open the cuffs. He gingerly crossed to Ben first and looked at his arm. It was swollen but it didn't look like a compound fracture. "It doesn't seem so bad Ben." He told the heavily breathing man.

"Great, it feels wonderful." He said through his gritted teeth.

"I need the code Leslie." Lucas told their captor expectantly.

"What? Oh, 1234."

"Really?" Lucas sighed and punched in the code. Ben carefully brought his arm up to his chest and paled more.

"Verne, you stay here. Pilot the sub back home if I don't come back. He may want me to start ruling with him right away." The orangutan pulled up his lip and nodded, and then sat in the cockpit.

When Tim was free as well, the three stood and waited for instructions. Leslie kept the gun pointed at them and opened the doors. He shouldered a duffle bag and motioned them out. They found themselves on a rocky beach surrounded by low cliffs.

"Come on, up we go! Oh this is so exciting! It's finally happening!" Leslie said, nearly jumping up and down.

They followed his directions and took a narrow path up to one of the low cliffs. It overlooked the water about twenty feet down. Lucas looked over the edge, it wasn't a far jump but the water crashed over jagged rocks. They wouldn't be able to jump to safety, and definitely not with Ben's arm being broken.

"Now what?" Lucas asked, turning back to the group. He didn't see the knife flash but he did feel it as it sliced in his upper arm. He yelled in pain and Leslie calmly held the arm to direct the blood into a bowl he was carrying. He freed Lucas and dumped the powdered palladium in.

Tim ground his teeth in frustration. He hadn't noticed the Regulator put his gun in his belt until he slashed Lucas. Now he was the only one not injured. He had to do something soon. "Here." Leslie said, handing Tim a stone tablet.

Tim looked at it and him in shock. "You have it? You could have let us go, or at least them." He gestured to his injured crewmates and struggled to keep his voice calm.

"I only got it this morning. But I didn't know if I could trust you with it. I still don't know if I can." Leslie said shrugging. "Besides, I'm crazy!" He grinned a lunatic smile to reinforce his statement.

Lucas was trying to stem the flow of blood from his arm. "Where is Darwin, we need him for the ritual." He asked weakly. He knew they needed to get away from this madman as soon as they could.

"Darwin? Why would we need Darwin?" Leslie asked him in bemusement.

"Um... the translation? A dweller of the deep with uncommon knowledge must summon him?" Lucas recounted, still trying to play the game.

"Yes, you." Leslie said looking at him like he was the lunatic in the situation. "You must go into the water and summon him."

Tim winced when he saw how badly his plan had backfired on them. He knew Lucas was weakened from the blood loss, but perhaps he could still swim to safety if he jumped past the rocks. "Ok," he started in a placating tone. "Let's start."

"Yes, please." Leslie said smiling. "Ben, Tim, please stand beside me here, I want you both to see this as it happens." He waved them over to the cliff's edge with his gun. After he positioned them several feet away from himself he took Lucas' arm.

Lucas tried to not panic as he was pushed to very edge of the cliff. He could see the deadly rocks below him and tried not to imagine what it would feel like when his body crashed down on them. He heard Tim's voice raise and speak the nonsense language. _This is crazy!_ He thought, _how do we get in these situations?!_

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn." Tim's voice sounded strangely low and forceful uttering the words. He continued his chant with flawless pronunciation as only he could.

Blinking in shock Lucas watched the water froth. Was it just the stress of what was happening or did the water seem more violent? Had the wind picked up as well? Leslie let go to watch the ocean boil. Lucas used the opportunity to step back from the dangerous edge. His head getting foggy from the blood he was still losing and he didn't want to fall.

The chant stopped as Tim turned to Leslie. In one stride he was at the Regulator's side and slammed the stone tablet against his head. The man dropped to his knees and looked up with betrayal in his eyes. "Why?" Tim lashed out with a kick that sent him flying over the edge.

He stepped back and glanced at Lucas and Ben. They were watching him in shock. "Whoa..." Ben breathed.

"Let's go find a phone." Suggested Lucas after regaining his voice.

"Yup."

* * *

><p>Leslie floated in the water. His legs wouldn't work and he couldn't figure out why. He remembered hitting the rocks on his way down but nothing hurt. Actually, he couldn't feel anything. He knew he should be trying to swim, trying to breathe, trying to survive but it didn't seem a high priority right now. He looked around in the water surrounding him. A large dark shape was raising to meet him. He felt a strong limb wrap around him and words screamed into his brain. "I have you my child. You did well."<p>

The End... Maybe

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><p><strong>Author's note: I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know in a review or pm. :)<strong>


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